Leigh Centurions forward Sam Barlow is set to stand trial for an alleged assault.
The 27-year-old, who signed a five-year deal with the club in 2014, has not featured in either of Leigh’s pre-season games against Warrington Wolves or Wigan Warriors.
The club’s stance has been that Barlow has been dealing with a back injury.
Speculation surrounding Barlow’s future has been a point of discussion for a number of weeks now, with his absence from the team’s photo call also raising questions. The Scotland international has been given the number 33 squad number, although that is a demotion from the number 13 jersey he had last year.
In August, Leigh made an official complaint against the UK’s Anti-Doping Agency after an incident involving Barlow outside his home.
At the time the club said that Barlow was visited by a drugs tester one evening, but Barlow later called the police after claiming the tester had been “acting suspiciously” outside his house.
He had put a video up on his personal Facebook account, although that video now appears to have been removed.
West Yorkshire Police were contacted, who confirmed Barlow’s date in court.
The exact nature of the charge has not been specified, although at this point League Express understands that he will face a charge of assault.
Barlow is due to appear at Bradford Crown Court on Friday, February 12.
